We still do not understand why 15,841 verified cases of coronavirus were successfully lost in the English testing system.
The prime minister called it a “computer issue”.
What we do know is that on 24 September something went incorrect with the computer system connecting the Lighthouse Laboratories to Public Health England (PHE).
I’ve seen a copy of a note sent by PHE to directors of public health in the North West, which includes a table showing how the lost cases built up. On the very first day, 957 weren’t filed. On 2 October, the day the issue was discovered, 4,786 cases weren’t contributed to the system.
That’s practically 5,000 favorable cases that weren’t consisted of in the day-to-day national total and – most significantly – weren’t passed to Test and Trace.
Breakdown of missing out on cases
| Missing cases | Initial figure | Real total | |
| 25 September | 957 | 6,874 | 7,831 |
| 26 September | 744 | 6,042 | 6,786 |
| 27 September | 757 | 5,693 | 6,450 |
| 28 September | 0 | 4,044 | 4,044 |
| 29 September | 1,415 | 7,143 | 8,558 |
| 30 September | 3,049 | 7,108 | 10,157 |
| 01 October | 4,133 | 6,914 | 11,047 |
| 02 October | 4,786 | 6,968 | 11,754 |
The note consists of some essential discuss the useful effect of this news. It makes clear that this issue does not affect anybody’s results. Everyone who checked positive was informed and asked to self-isolate “in the normal way”.
The note also declares that the issue with the data did not alter any local lockdowns, saying it had “no impact on the choices” that were made at the necessary GOLD conference which rules on local constraints. It includes: “If anything, it reveals that the infection is in an endemic stage and rising.”
Whether that is precise stays to be seen.
An effect for Test and Trace is in fact an effect for everyone.
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We now know that the coronavirus figures have actually been significantly ignored for over a week. The impact of this issue may yet last longer.
I’m informed a “major event” was declared in Test and Trace over the weekend. With so much at stake, major is absolutely the word.
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